Lubricating oil conditioner



July 19, 1949. R DILWORTH 2,476,405

LUBRICATING OIL CONDITIONER Filed Nov. 27, 1942 Gttomegs Patented July 19, 1949 S PATENT OFFHCE LUBRICATING OIL CONDITIONER Richard M. Dilworth, Hinsdale, 1ll., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mieln, a

- corporation of Delaware Application November 27, 1942. Serial No. 467,107

1 Claim.

This invention has to do with apparatus for conditioning fluids, particularly with apparatus for filtering and cooling the lubricating oil of clogged by congealed oil or other matter.

The principal feature of the invention is an oil cooler with a by-pass through which oil may flow to the engine when it is too viscous to pass through the cooler or the cooler is clogged by congealed oil or other matter but is so constructed and arranged that without employment of a valve oil is constrained to pass through the cooler and is. consequently, cooled when it is hot and fluent and can freely pass through the cooler.

For a better understanding of the nature and objects of this inventionreference is made to the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein is described and shown an embodiment of my invention.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a lubricating oil tank in which are installed an oil filter and an oil cooler in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section taken as indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1.

In the drawing the reference character It indicates a sheet metal lubricating oil tank in whose top there is an opening closed by a hinged door (not shown in the drawing) through which oil may be introduced into the tank. Within the tank. there is disposed, near one side, a filter I I and, near the other side, a heat exchanger l2. From the top to the bottom and from one side to the other of the tank between the filter ii and the heat exchanger l2 there extends a sheet metal wall l3 riddled with openings I6 and between the wall i3 and the heat exchanger a woven wire screen IS.

The filter I l consists of one or more filter units and a header l6 which is common to the several units. cally disposed imperforate cylindrical shell ll whose lower end is closed by a head l8 and seated Each of the filter units includes a verti- 2 properly and to hold them in this position there are'secured to the bottom of the tank brackets l9.

Within each of the shells I! there is disposed a filter cartridge which extends up into the header. Each of the cartridges consists of a shell 2| with heads on both of its ends and a tube 22 which extends through the shell and outwardly beyond the heads. The shell 2i, its heads and the portion of the tube 22 between the heads are riddled with openings 23 and the space between the shell, its heads and the tube is filled with a suitable filter material 24.

The lower end of each of the tubes 22 is seated on and closed by a pedestal 25 fixed to the head iii of the cylindrical shell l'l within which it is disposed. The upper end of each of the tubes extends into the lower end of a hollow bolt 26. Onto the upper end of each of the bolts 26 is screwed a nozzle 21 above which there is in the top of the tank an opening closed by a transparency 28. Suitable means, such as one or more members 29, are provided to hold the filter firmly in place in the tank.

In the top of the header Hi there is an open- 35 ing coaxial with each of the cylindrical shells i1.

on the bottom of the tank i0 and whose upper On each of the hollow bolts 26 there is mounted so that it can slide from a position in which it closes to a position in which it leaves open and vice versa the corresponding opening in the top of the header iii a valve 30. A spring 3! urges each of the valves to the position in which it closes the opening it controls.

The heat exchanger I! which is suitably fixed to the bottom of the tank It is similar to an automobile-engine cooling radiator. It includes lower and upper headers 32 and 33 and between the headers 21 core 34 with vertical passages 35 in it through which water may pass from one to the other of the headers and horizontal passages 36 in it through which oil may pass from one side to the other of the heat exchanger in heat exchanging relation to the water in the passages 35. Imperiorate baflies 31 which extend from the side walls of the tank ill to the heat exchanger l2 and from the bottom of the tank to about the level of the top of the upper header 33 of the heat exchanger prevent oil passing around the sides of the heat exchanger.

Through the wall of the tank there extends into the header l6 of the filter ii an oil inlet pipe 38. Into the tank on the side of the heat exchanger i2 opposite the filter there open near the bottom of the tank oil outlet pipes 39 and 40 and somewhat below the level of the upper header of the heat exchanger an oil overflow pipe M.

To the upper and lower headers 33 and 32 of the heat exchanger there are connected water inlet and outlet pipes 43 and 42.

The lubricating oil tank illustrated in the drawing and hereinbefore described was designed for installation in the lubricating and cooling systems of a water cooled internal combustion engine equipped with pressure pumps for supplying lubricating oil to the bearings of the engine to lubricate them and to the pistons of the engine to cool them, a sump into which the oil drains from the bearings and pistons, a scavenging pump of greater capacity than both of the pressure pumps for withdrawing the oil from the sump, and a radiator for cooling and a pump for circulating engine cooling water. The tank is installed in the lubricating and cooling systems of such an engine with the discharge side of the oil scavenging pump connected to the pipe 38, the suction side of each of the oil pressure pumps connected to one of the pipes 39 and 40, the oil overflow pipe 4| connected to the sump into which oil drains from the bearings and the pistons of the engine, and the engine cooling water cooling radiator and pump connected to the pipes 42 and 43 so that engine cooling wat-er passes through the passages 35 in the core of the heat exchanger l2.

Before the engine is started and each time its supply of oil is replenished a volume of oil considerably in excess of the capacity of the tank is preferably put into the lubricating system of the engine to obviate irequent replenishment of the oil supply without danger of running short of oil. When the tank is installed as described above and the engine is operating, the oil scavenging pump withdraws oil from the mentioned sump and forces it into the header iii of the filter H. Thence the oil passes; successively, into the part of the tank in which the filter is disposed and through the openings in the wall i3 and screen 15, into the portion of the tank between the screen and the heat exchanger. From this portion of the tank the oil passes into the portion of the tank on the other side of the heat exchanger. From the last mentioned portion of the tank the oil pressure pumps withdraw the quantity of oil required to lubricate the bearings and cool the pistons of the engine and advance it to these parts whence it drains back into the sump. The remainder of the oil which enters the tank passes directly to the sump through the overflow pipe 4| which thus serves to prevent the oil rising to an undesirably high level in the tank.

The oil follows the course generally described above as long as the engine is operating. However, its course through the tank varies with conditions.

If the oil is hot-and fluent and the filter is not clogged by congealed oil or other matter, the valve or valves 30 will be opened only sufficiently to let a portion of the oil escape from the header I6 by the openings which the valves control and the other portion of the oil will pass through the filter material 24 and leave the filter by the nozzle or nozzles 21. However, if the oil is too viscous to pass through the filter material or the filter material is clogged by congealed oil or other matter, the valve or valves 30 will be opened sufilciently to let all of the oil escape from the header by the openings which the valves control. Thus, without danger of interruption of the supply of oil to the engine when.

the oil cannot pass through the filter, it is assured that a portion of the oil will be continu- 4 ously filtered whenever the oil can pass through the filter.

Of course, when the tank 10 is installed as described above and the engine is operating, engine coolingTrater continuously passes through the passages 35 in the heat exchanger 12.

If the oil is hot and fluent and the passages 36 in the core of the heat exchanger are not clogged by congealed oil or other matter all of the oil which enters the tank will pass into the portion of the tank on the side 0! the heat exchanger most distant from the filter by way of the passages'36 and will, consequently, be cooled by the engine cooling water which passes through the passages 36 in the core of the heat exchanger. If the oil is too viscous to pass freely through the passages 36 or these passages are clogged by congealed oil or other matter the level of the oil in the portion of the tank on the side of the heat exchanger nearest the filter will rise and part or all of the oil which enters the tank will pass into the portion of it on the side of the heat exchanger most distant from the filter over the top of the heat exchanger and the baffles 31.

The passages 36 in the core of the heat exchanger should be of such number and size that when the oil is hot and fluent and the passages are not clogged by congealed oil or other matter all of the oil which enters the tank will pass from the portion of the tank on the side of the heat exchanger nearest the filter to the portion of the tank on the side of the heat exchanger most distant from the filter through them but sufficiently slowly to reduce to the desired value the temperature of the oil which enters the portion of the tank on the side of the heat exchanger most distant from the filter. Thus, without employment of a valve and without danger of interruption of the supply of oil to the engine when the oil cannot pass through the passages 36 in the core of the heat exchanger, it is assured that whenever the oil is hot and fluent and can pass through the passages 36 enough of it will be sufliciently cooled to reduce to the desired value the temperature of the oil advanced by the pressure pumps to the bearings and pistons of the engine.

I claim:

In apparatus for cooling a liquid whose visc0sity increases as its temperature decreases, a tank, means, including a heat exchanger, which at distances from the ends of the'tank extends from the bottom of the tank upwardly and across the tank from side wallto side wall and divides the tank into an inlet compartment and an outlet compartment, means through which liquid may be introduced into the inlet compartment, passages in the heat exchanger through which liquid may pass horizontally from the inlet compartment to the outlet compartment when it requires cooling but which when the liquid does not require cooling obstruct its passage so that its level in the inlet compartment tends to rise, and a passage above the specified means through which liquid may pass from the inlet compartment to the outlet compartment when it does not require cooling and its level in the inlet compartment has risen to above the specified means, the tank wall having an opening below the top of the specified means through which liquid may leave the outlet compartment.

RICHARD M. DILWORTH.

(References on following page) V REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,071,623 Maranville 9 Aug. 26, 1913 1,101,969 Still June 30, 1914 1,350,521 Roots Aug. 24, 1920 1,384,873 Strickland July 19, 1921 19 1,539,607 Spring May 26, 1925 1,760,340 Blackmore May 27, 1930 1,776,726 Gross Sept. 23, 1930 1,860,731 Cole May 31, 1932 1,864,237 Fauth June 21, 1932 15 1,900,821 Kline Mar. 7, 1933 ,Number Number Name Date Clarke May 2, 1933 McCray June 13, 1933 McCausland Aug. 1, 1933 Pedersen Aug. 15, 1933 Uhl July 17, 1934 Burckhalter et a1. Jan. 19, 1937 Burckhalter et a1. Jan. 19, 1937 Paton Mar. 2, 1937 Mortier Oct, 18, 1938 Dumnire Nov. 24, 1942 FOREIGN m'x'lanwrs Country Date Great Britain June 17, 1926 

